The present invention relates to fiber optic systems, and more particularly to a terminator for use with optical fibers or optical fiber bundles for terminating optical signals exiting from unused optical fibers or optical fiber bundles.
When designing fiber optic illumination systems, there is often a need to either manage extra optical fibers or temporarily manage un-installed optical fibers or optical fiber bundles. The light output from unused optical fibers or optical fiber bundles can be intense enough to cause heat damage to surrounding components if not xe2x80x9ccapped offxe2x80x9d. Simply capping off the optical fibers or optical fiber bundles causes light reflection back upstream into the unused optical fiber (or fibers) causing an unnecessary thermal load on the light engine supplying optical energy to the optical fiber (or fibers).
Therefore, there is a need for a method to terminate an unused optical fiber (or unused optical fiber bundle) by minimizing the return path for optical energy emitted from the optical fiber (or fibers) and managing the heat that is created thereby.
There is also a need for an apparatus and method to terminate unused optical fibers in a manner which does not add significant additional cost to the overall fiber optic system and which does not require modification to the optical fibers themselves.
The above and other objects are provided by a fiber optic terminator apparatus and method in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention. In one preferred form, the fiber optic terminator apparatus of the present invention comprises a heat sink having an opening with which an output end of an optical fiber or optical fiber bundle may be placed in communication with. The opening of the heat sink is also in communication with an involute shaped cavity formed within the heat sink. The involute shape is unique in that it is known to create a reflection path where a light ray will never bounce back through the point where it emanated from. Optical energy exiting from the output end of the optical fiber or optical fiber bundle impinges the involute shaped cavity and is reflected away from the output end. In one preferred form the involute shaped cavity is coated with a light absorbing coating, such as flat black paint, to further help absorb optical energy.
In a preferred embodiment the heat sink includes a pair of involute shaped cavities arranged as a mirror image pair. The involute shaped cavities are further arranged with a longitudinal center thereof extending in alignment with a coaxial center of the optical fiber or optical fiber bundle. In this embodiment, both halves of the involute shaped cavity are preferably coated with a light absorbing coating such as flat black paint.
The heat sink of the present invention thus operates to reflect optical energy emitted from an output end of an optical fiber or optical fiber bundle in a plurality of directions within the involute shaped cavity. This serves to more effectively disburse the optical energy throughout the heat sink and, most importantly, to prevent the reflection of optical energy back into the output end of the optical fiber or bundle.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.